News


Breaking original Enigma messages is not a trivial job, even today. Don´t be impatient. Please visit us from time to time, to get the latest news.

Update (17.02.2021):

Bild "Enigma Replica"
The ENIGMA R.D.E.
Great project:

The first affordable fully mechanical ENIGMA replica machine. The ENIGMA R.D.E. Link
Update (13.02.2021):

Bild "The Spanish Enigma Message:Spanisch_Enigma_Message_k.jpg"
Spanish ENIGMA message
Very rare Spanish ENIGMA message LRS10 broken. Michael´s modified TBreaker software recovered the message key of a naval Spanish ENIGMA message. The message was encoded on an ENIGMA machine used by the Spanish Navy during the Spanish civil war. Link

Picture source and copyright: diariodeibiza.es
Update (04.02.2021):

Bild "Wooden Enigma mechanism"
Enigma mechanism
The best ENIGMA video ever:

A wooden mockup of the stepping mechanism in the  infamous Enigma cipher machine. Shown here are the stepping of the Enigma rotors from the rear of the machine, as well as an instance of 'double stepping', where the middle rotor steps twice in a row. Link
Update (05.04.2017):

  • Dan´s new hillclimber, based on Olaf Ostwald´s and Frode Weierud´s ideas, has broken WRCE and ZWBA. Both turned out to be dummy messages.
  • Modern breaking of Enigma ciphertexts Link

Update (26.03.2017):

  • Another five messages, from the Swedish Enigma M3 intercepts, couldn't resist Dan´s hillclimber. Four of the messages were very rare, so called dummy messages. They were sent to keep up a steady level of radio traffic in order to deceive the Allies’ traffic analysts. (KRNV, PHZH, YEXP, DOEP, KRLR)

Update (28.09.2016):

  • After about one and a half years: Two more ENIGMA messages are not longer a secret. Dan Girards hillclimbing software did again a great job. Read message COEW and LMWP of the Swedish Enigma intercepts.

Update (21.03.2016):

Bild "Luftwaffe Enigma Message"
German Airforce ENIGMA Message
New article published: The German Airforce ENIGMA Indicator System. (Luftwaffen Kenngruppen) Link

Update (17.03.2016):

  • Minor corrections published: "The last days of U 534". Link

Update (15.03.2016):

  • The connection to our website is now protected by SSL/TLS.

Update (01.03.2016):

  • Dan Girards analysis of the P1030680 M-Thetis message form is online now. Link

Update (30.06.2015):

Bild "The Codebreaker Team"
The codebreakers: argh, BE, Michael
Michael from the "Breaking German Navy Ciphers" project and his team have achieved the 2nd place in the Polish crypto competition on codebreakers.eu (Highest Level: Enigma). The challenge was carried out by VIATOR Cultural and Tourist Association with the financial support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. The match lasted 3 weeks! There were 18 difficult tasks to solve, eg Enigma I ciphertext only attacks.  First place goes to George Lasry and his team from Israel. They were a little bit faster. Congratulation!

Update (31.03.2015):

Bild "Original Bletchley Park Ultra document"
DEFE3 Enigma decrypts (ULTRA)
Read the U534 ULTRA decrypts (DEFE3 files) from Bletchley Park! Link

Update (18.02.2015):

  • Enigma printer device used on U 534? The "Schreibmax" theory: Link

Update (31.01.2015):

  • Dan´s hillclimber has broken another of the Swedish Enigma M3 intercepts.
  • The message was intercepted on December 14, 1939 at Göteborg.
  • Link: Message RQCA
  • Ciphertext only hillclimb

Update (07.01.2015):

  • We have decoded the "Kenngruppen" (message indicator groups) of P1030670 using the original secrect cipher documents from 1945!
  • The Proof: P1030670 is RHV. Link

Update (04.01.2015):

  • Michael published an authentic "Reservehandverfahren" WW2 radio message.
  • R.H.V. was a manual cipher system, used as a backup method when no working naval Enigma machine was available.
  • As far as we know, this is the only original RHV radio message available on the World Wide Web!
  • Link
Update (02.01.2015):

  • It seems that the investigation has been shut down, as the man's age and sickness make him unfit to stand trial.
  • Link (German language)

Update (30.12.2014):

  • In 2005 Frode Weierud and Geoff Sullivan did a historical Enigma break. They decrypted many radio messages from the KZ Flossenbürg. Now, about 10 years later, German authorities investigates against a 95 years old radio operator.
  • Link: Read the story (German language)
  • Link: Further information (German language)

Update (09.12.2014):

  • Dan´s hillclimber has broken another of the Swedish Enigma M3 intercepts.
  • The message was intercepted on December 1, 1939 at Hjuviks brygga near Göteborg.
  • Link: Message IRLU
  • Ciphertext only hillclimb

Update (12.08.2014):

  • Two more Norrköping Naval Enigma M3 messages broken! These messages were intercepted by the Swedish police.
  • Link: Message TCQB
  • Link: Message DDVS
  • Ciphertext only hillclimb

Update (30.01.2014):

  • Norrköping Naval Enigma M3 message broken! The message is addressed to the famous heavy cruiser "Admiral Graf Spee", and was sent just one day before her fateful encounter with the British Royal Navy in the Battle of the River Plate. Link
  • Ciphertext only hillclimb

Bild "Original WW2 Enigma M3 message Admiral Graf Spee"
Graf Spee Enigma M3 message


Update (04.11.2013):

  • Mobile Layout added. Mobile devices are detected automatically. To switch the layout manually, you can use the layout button in the footer.
Update (20.06.2013):

Bild "Broken Enigma message P1030713 (FNYG MXHU)"
Naval Enigma message P1030713 (FNYG MXHU)
Today the Enigma@Home project broke our U534 Enigma M4 radio message P1030713 (FNYG MXHU).

CONGRATULATONS !

- This seems to be a new hillclimbing record, because the message has only 76 letters.
- Some years ago Geoff Sullivan and Frode Weierud broke an Enigma I message with 78 letters.
- The Enigma@Home project used our breaks to improve their hillclimbing dictionary.
- Time equivalent for this message: 120 years (standard 4 core CPU).

Update (28.04.2013):

  • The Norrköping Messages: 5 Enigma I radio messages broken (Luftwaffe / Air Force).
  • Ciphertext only hillclimb

Update (04.04.2013):

  • The Enigma@Home project tries to decrypt the P1030680 ENIGMA message. You can help them with your CPU power!
  • They use the Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) to hillclimb our M4 message.
  • On a normal PC, this would take decades, maybe centuries. (Hillclimbing is a cipher text only attack)
  • Duaration on a single CPU:  4·336·26·26·26·26 (Positions) ·26·26 (Rings) ·TIME (maybe 20ms) = ? (Calculate it)

Update (07.03.2013):

  • Dan´s article about the “H.M.S. HURRICANE” break is online now.
Update (07.03.2013):


Update (14.02.2013):


Update (14.01.2013):

Bild "Famous third Enigma message"
Third Message
Announcement: Famous third ENIGMA message broken!

(Third Message of the “HMS HURRICANE” INTERCEPTS)

After a long research from M.Hörenberg in the war diaries (KTBs) and with a
phenomenal new "fast" hillclimbing/crib technology from Mr. Dan Girard the
message is uncovered now.

Read it

Update (31.12.2012):


Update (20.10.2012):

Bild "Enigma Nachricht Funkspruch von Karl Dönitz"
Enigma Funkspruch:
Nachricht von Karl Dönitz
We deciphered a historical Enigma message:
"Message from Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz, announcing his appointment as Hitler’s successor."
Watch the original U-Boot Schlüsselzettel (cipher message form): The Dönitz Message

Degarbling the Dönitz Message (Article) Link.

The original ciphertext, plaintext and the Enigma machine settings Link.

47 original Enigma messages online.

Update (18.10.2012):

  • 46 original Enigma messages online
  • New message interpretations and translations added (courtesy of Dan Girard)


Update (27.09.2012):

  • Daily Enigma U-Boot key for 30. April 1945 cracked! (Tagesschlüssel)

Update (23.08.2012):

  • The Kenngruppen System Link

Update (12.08.2012):

  • Published for the first time: The war diaries of Looks and Schroeder! Link

Update (31.07.2012):

  • We made it! First U 534 message broken. Link
  • Michael decrypted the daily ENIGMA M4 key for 01. May 1945 with his Turing-Bombe.
  • He used 112 CPU cores. Time: 5 1/2 hours.